Top Posts

Online

The Atlantic reports that after months of tough negotiations with the White House, members of Congress who monitor intelligence agencies believe they’ve won meaningful new oversight powers via a bill the President has promised to sign.

Among these new powers: agency directors will have to certify, under penalty of law, that they’ve disclosed to Congress everything that must be disclosed; criteria will be expanded for the types of covert operation planning that Congress must be briefed on; and the White House will even have to retain (for the sake of public records to be disclosed in the future) a written record of every briefing it provides to the intelligence communities and a list of attendees.

These provisions well represent how the balance of power has shifted on oversight matters. According to intelligence and Congressional officials, Congressional oversight of the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency is currently robust and vigorous.